Three times in the past six days (that includes the weekend) the school nurse at my son’s elementary school has called me, and three times I’ve had to pick up my little boy from school. He’s not sick. If anything, he was a little stuffy. The first two check-outs were due to him spitting up mucus – a ritual he does every time he cries heartily or wakes up stuffy from a cold or allergies. The last time was from the scabby crust that formed on the end of his nose – just in time for school picture day. The school nurse feared it was some sort of staph infection, which of course sent me into a tizzy. I rushed my son Truman straight to the doctor who told me he was fine. The doctor gave me a topical ointment and a note saying my son was OK to attend school the next day.
Truman didn’t want to miss school for those three days he was sent home, and that was pretty much all that made him feel miserable. Once home, he bounced off the walls and ran wild through the yard. He was fine.
This morning, I walked my son into school (I had to deliver Fall Festival donations anyway) and he handed his teachers (he has two) the note from the doctor. He said, “I hope I can stay the whole day today.” I said, “Me too.” I was overwhelmed with guilt that I had sent my son to school with germs to spread to other students. The teachers shook their heads. Apparently the school nurse has been on double-duty these days, being extra precautionary with most of the kids and sending them home for most any ailment in light of the swine flu epidemic. I recalled the two other kids in the nurse’s office when I was there last week, and the vomit spot I had to step over in the office when I checked Truman out Thursday. I began to feel sorry for that school nurse, no doubt more overwhelmed than usual. I thought I might send her a gift to show my appreciation, considering she had seen so much of my son these past two weeks.
Photo, Educational Innovations, TeacherSource.com
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